Dr David Clark

Dr. David Clark is a highly skilled specialist with over 30 years of experience in the field. He founded The Breast Centre in 1988 with a vision to provide comprehensive care for patients with breast issues, and has since expanded the practice into a comprehensive breast cancer clinic. With his expertise, The Breast Centre is now the largest single practice in the Hunter involved in the management of breast cancer.

Dr. Clark graduated with a BSc in Biochemistry in 1972 and went on to complete his MBBS at the University of Sydney in 1977. He obtained his fellowship with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1986 and has been a member of The Breast Section Royal Australasian College of Surgeons since 1998. He was appointed Deputy Director and Clinical Director Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Health at University of Newcastle in 2012.

Dr. Clark has a deep commitment to breast cancer research and has been awarded several grants to further his work. He played a key role in the development of the National Breast Cancer Audit and is the largest single contributor to the Breast Cancer Tissue Bank, which provides tissue samples for future research. He is also a member of the ANZ Breast Cancer Trials Group, where he is currently a Principal Investigator on four treatment trials.

Dr. Clark's research has had a significant impact on the field of breast cancer treatment. His work on ultrasonographically and cytological benign papillary lesions concluded that these lesions were always benign and did not need to be removed, contrary to current international practice. He has also conducted trials in intra-operative ultrasound and pre-operative axillary ultrasound, and has collaborated with researchers at Royal North Shore Hospital and HMRI Newcastle, providing breast cancer samples for spectroscopy.

In addition to his research, Dr. Clark remains dedicated to managing patients with breast problems. He attends weekly multidisciplinary meetings to discuss the management of patients with breast cancer and was appointed examiner for the fellowship examinations at the RACS in 2019. He was awarded a Certificate of Community Service by the RACS in 2015 and continues to contribute his expertise to the field through manuscript reviews and other activities.